# Basta (rapper)

Basta, also known as Noggano, born on April 20, 1980, as Vasiliy Mikhaylovich Vakulenko (Russian: Василий Михайлович Вакуленко) is a Russian rapper, singer, producer, and radio host.

## Biography

Basta's father was an army officer who served in the Armed Forces of Belarus (formerly part of Soviet Union) during the 1980s. Basta studied at a local music college but did not graduate.
Basta first began to write rap songs around the age of 15–16. In 1997, he joined the rap group Psycholyric, which he later renamed to Kasta. In 1998, he recorded his first solo single "Моя Игра" (Moya Igra/My Game). Subsequently, Vakulenko assembled his own band, "Уличные Звуки" (Ulichnye Zvuki/Street Sounds). In 2004, he was noticed by Bogdan Titomir, who invited him to accompany him to Moscow. In Moscow, Basta met other performers Smoky Mo and Guf (future founder of Centr). Later, he participated in recording Guf's album "Город дорог" (Gorod Dorog/City of Roads) and collaborated with him on the cover of his first single "Моя Игра" (Moya Igra/My Game).
In 2008, Basta adopted the stage name "Noggano", an allusion to the Nagant M1895 revolver. He recorded two albums "Ноггано первый" (Noggano: The First) and "Ноггано теплый" (Noggano Warm). After his "Noggano" project, he rebranded himself as a Gangsta rapper, calling "Noggano" his alter ego.
Since 2006, Basta and his business partner Yevgeny Antimoniy have owned the Gazgolder company. The company has a multi-brand strategy and, under their ownership, acts as a music record label, nightclub, production company, management agency, and talent agency. Under Gazgolder, they also own multiple stores which include clothes shops, pubs, restaurants, vape shops, and a jewelry retailer.
In October 2019, he became the owner of the FC SKA Rostov-on-Don. Together with the company "Rostec", they participated in the restoration of the club

## Personal life

Basta is married and has two children.
In 2017, Basta was banned for three years from entering Ukraine as he had performed in Crimea after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.
In January 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Vasiliy for his support of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

## Discography
### Albums

* 2006 - "Баста 1" (Basta 1)
* 2007 - "Баста 2" (Basta 2)
* 2008 - "Ноггано. Первый" (Noggano. Perviy / Noggano. The First)
* 2009 - "Ноггано. Второй (Теплый)" (Noggano. Vtoroi (Tyopliy) / Noggano. The Second (Warm))
* 2010 - "Баста 3" (Basta 3)
* 2010 - "Баста/Guf" (Basta/Guf)
* 2011 - "N1nt3nd0"
* 2011 - "ГлаЗ" (GlaZ / EyE)
* 2013 - "Баста 4" (Basta 4)
* 2014 - "ТВА"
* 2015 - "Баста/Смоки Мо" (Basta/Smoky Mo)
* 2016 - "Баста 5" (Basta 5)
* 2016 - "Лакшери" (Luxury)
* 2019 - "Папа на рейве" (Papa na reive / Daddy's on the rave)
* 2020 - "Gorilla Zippo, Vol.1"
* 2020 - "Basta 40"
* 2020 - "Не три" (Ne tri / Do not swipe)
* 2022 - "Палец на отсечение" (Palec na otsechenie / Finger on the cut)

### Compilations

* 1997 - "Первый Удар" (в составе группы "Психолирик") (Perviy Udar / First Strike (feat. Psycholyric)
* 2005 - "Начальное творчество. Часть 1" (Nachal'noe Tvorchestvo. Chast' 1 / Initiate Creation. Part 1)
* 2005 - "Баста. Начальное творчество. Часть 1" (Basta. Nachal'noe Tvorchestvo. Chast' 1 / Basta. Initiate Creation. Part 1)
* 2008 - "К тебе" (K tebe / To You)
* 2009 - "Ноггано: Неизданное" (Noggano: Neizdannoe / Noggano: Unpublished)
* 2010 - "Ноггано: Совместки" (Noggano: Sovmestki / Noggano: Featurings)
* 2013 - "Баста +" (Basta +)

### Singles

* 1997 - "Город" (Gorod / City)
* 2006 - Мама (Mama / Mommy)
* 2006 - "Так плачет весна" (Tak plachet vesna / This Is How The Spring Cries)
* 2006 - "Раз и навсегда" (Raz i navsegda / Once And For All)
* 2006 - "Сам по себе" (Sam po sebe / By Itself)
* 2006 - "Девочка-суицид" (Devochka-suitsid / Suicide Girl)
* 2006 - "Ты та, что" (Ty ta, chto / You're The One Who...)
* 2006 - "Осень" (Osen' / Autumn)
* 2006 - "Мои мечты" (Moi mechty / My Dreams)
* 2006 - "Моя игра" (Moya Igra / My Game)
* 2007 - "Мне нужен бит" (Mne nuzhen bit / I Need A Bit)
* 2007 - "Чувства" (Chuvstva / Feelings)
* 2007 - "Война" (Voyna / War)
* 2007 - "Город дорог" (Gorod dorog / City Of Roads, feat. Guf)
* 2007 - "Всем берегам" (Vsem beregam / To All Coasts, feat. Centr)
* 2008 - "Наше лето" (Nashe leto / Our Summer, feat. MakSim)
* 2009 - "Не всё потеряно" (Ne vsyo poteryano / All Is Not Lost, feat. Guf)
* 2009 - "Ростов" (Rostov / Rostov-on-Don)
* 2010 - "Нет такой, как ты" (Net takoy kak ty / There Is Nobody Like You)
* 2010 - "Обернись" (Obernis' / Turn Around, feat. Gorod 312)
* 2010 - "Солнца не видно" (Solntsa ne vidno / The Sun Is Not Visible, feat. BoomBox)
* 2010 - "Любовь без памяти" (Lyubov' bez pamyati / Love Without Memory)
* 2010 - Hands Up
* 2010 - "Урбан" (Urban)
* 2010 - "Деньги" (Den'gi / Money)
* 2010 - "Олимпиада 80" (Olimpiada 80 / 1980 Summer Olympics)
* 2010 - "Кинолента" (Kinolenta / Film)
* 2010 - "Россия" (Rossiya / Russia)
* 2010 - "Свобода" (Svoboda / Freedom)
* 2010 - "Театр" (Teatr / The Theater)
* 2010 - "Ходим по краю" (Hodim po krayu / We Walk On The Edge, feat. Guf)
* 2010 - "Отпускаю" (Otpuskayu / I'm Absolving)
* 2010 - "Темная ночь" (Tyomnaya Noch' / Dark Night)
* 2012 - "Моя вселенная" п.у. Тати (Moya vselennaya / My Universe, feat. Tati)
* 2013 - Intro Basta 4
* 2013 - "ЧК" (Чистый кайф) (Chisty kayf / Genuine Pleasure)
* 2014 - "Супергерой" (Supergeroy / The Superhero)
* 2014 - "Моё кино" (Moyo kino / My Cinema)
* 2014 - Приглашение в Золотой Театр 2014 (Priglashenie v zolotoi teatr 2014 / Invitation to the Green Theater 2014, feat, Smoky Mo and Tati)
* 2014 - "Евпатория" (Yevpatoria, Lyapis Trubetskoy cover)
* 2014 - "Каменные цветы" (Kamennye tsvety / Stone Flowers, feat. Elena Vaenga and Smoky Mo)
* 2014 - "Старая школа" (Staraya shkola / Old School, feat. Smoky Mo)
* 2015 - "Хочу к тебе" (Hochu k tebe / I Wish I Were With You, feat. Tati)
* 2015 - "Скрипка Страдивари" (Skripka Stradivari / Stradivari's Violin)
* 2015 - "Нас не нужно жалеть" (Nas ne nuzhno zhalet' / Don't Pitty Us)
* 2015 - "Финальный матч" (Finalny Match / The Final Match, feat. Smoky Mo. Official Match TV anthem)
* 2015 - "Там, где нас нет" (Tam, gde nas net / Where We Are Not)
* 2016 - "Я смотрю на небо" (Ya smotryu na nebo / I Look At The Sky)
* 2016 - "Слон" (Slon / The Elephant, feat. Aglaya Shilovskaya)
* 2016 - "Голос" (Golos / The Voice, feat. Polina Gagarina)
* 2016 - I Just Live My Life (feat. Cvpellv)
* 2016 - "Выпускной. Медлячок" (Vypusknoy. Medlyachok / Prom. The Slow Song)
* 2016 - Приглашение на фестиваль Gazgolder Live (Priglashenie na festival Gazgolder Live / Invitation to the Gazgolder Live festival, feat. Dasha Charusha)
* 2016 - "Родная" (Rodnaya / Darling. Kalinov Most cover)
* 2016 - "Ангел веры" (Angel very / Angel of Faith, feat. Polina Gagarina)
* 2017 - "Мастер и Маргарита" (Master i Margarita / The Master and Margarita, feat. Yuna)
* 2017 - "Сансара" (Sansara, feat. Diana Arbenina, Alexander F. Sklyar, Skriptonit, Ant 25/17, Sergey Bobunets & SunSay)
* 2017 - "Папа What's Up" (Papa What's Up)
* 2020 - "неболей" (Neboley, feat. Zivert)